Machine for forming furniture-joints



2 SheetsSheet' 1. T. W. SMITH & (L'BIRELY.

' Patent'ed De0.Z.6, 1882.

M E W A. 2 G

(No Model.)

MACHINE FOR FORMING FURNITURE JOINTS.

/A\TTEET I P/ a (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. W, SMITH & O. BIRELY.

MACHINE FOR FORMING FURNITURE JOINTS.

No. 269,602. Patented De0.26, 1882.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS \V. SMITH AND CHARLES BIRELY, OF (JONNERSVILLE, INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR FORMING FURNITURE-JOINTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,602, dated December 26, 188i.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS IV. SMITH and CHARLES BIRELY,citizeus oftheUnited States,

mandrel-carriers.

residing at Gonnersville, in the county of Fayette and State of Indiana, havejointlyinveuted certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Joints and Machines for Forming the Same, of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates particularly to that class of furniture known as drawer-work, and it has for its object the construction of a new machine to rapidly andaccurately form a peculiarjoint for framing the carcass or shell that is to receive the drawers together.

The invention will be first fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, andthen thenovel featuresparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 ot' the drawings is a side elevation of the frame and one end of ourimproved machine. The head-stock and opposite sliding bed or table is shown in central vertical section on line 00 w of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through line y y of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the head-stock or center of the machine. Fig.3 isan end elevation of the sliding bed-plate upon which the rails and stiles are held to be fed up to the bits. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of one Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the jointed portion of the stile. Fig. 6 is a similar view otthe end of the cross-rail. Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the leading end of one of the sliding bed-plates, showing the arrangements for clamping the stuff to bejointed; and Fig.8 is a similar view of one of the mandrel-frames.

Ais the frameof the machine, which has standards A projecting up from each side. Between these standards are mounted upon four cross-rods, c, any desired number of mandrel frames or carriers, 0. In each of these frames are journaled two mandrels, B and D, which project out upon each end, the lower one, B, to receive upon each ofits projecting ends a suitable cutting tool or clutch, b, to form the male portion of the joint upon the end of the rail, Fig.6. The upper mandrel, D,is adapted to receive at each end bits d, for boring the edge of the stile, Fig. 5. The mandrel 1) passes through bosses (1, cast with or secured upon each end of the frame 0. Within these bosses are secured stationary tools (1 of proper shape to out part d of the female joint upon the stile, Fig. 5. These mandrels are driven by a belt, E, which passes over a pulley secured upon shaft F. The belt, after passing partly around all the pulleys upon the rnandrels, is carried up and over a pulley journaled in a hanger secured over the center of a spring, G, which rests in slots in the upper ends of standards A. This arrangement for driving the mandrels is the same as that now usually employed to drive the spindles of the common boring-machine. The spindle-carriers O are adjustable upon their rods 0, and are held in any desired position by followers H on screw-threaded shafts which pass-in front of the mandrelframes and are secured in the standards A, so that they may be brought closer together or adjusted apart to suit the different kinds or sizes of drawers.

' Upon each end of the frame A is arranged a sliding bed, I. These beds are sustained and guided to and from the cutters by two rods, J,which pass from end to end ofthe frame upon each side. The rods pass through bosses I, secured to the under side of the sliding table or bed. The movement of the bed to and from the bits and cutters is controlled by camwheels K, secured upon the ends of a shaft which has its bearings in the cross-rods of frame A. The cam-shaft is driven by a belt, K, from a small pulley upon shaft F, which passes loosely over a large pulley upon the cam-shaft. A friction -rollcr journaled upon one arm of a crank-lever, L, which is pivoted to lower cross-piece of frame A, tightens the belt K and gives motion to the cam-shaft,

when the treadle M, which actuates the cranklever through rods m m and lever m is pressed down by the operator. The shaft is stopped by releasing the treadle from pressure. The cams work in slotted lugs 7:, which are secured to the under side of the bed I.

The stiles to be operated upon are held in a box, N, secured upon the front end of the sliding bed I. There is a fixed block, at, at one end of the box, through which a screw, n, works to compress the stile between its inner endand a centering-point in an adjustable block, n, in the opposite end of the box N. A screw operated by a hand-wheel, n passes through a slot in the rear wall of box N and the block 11 and is swiveled in a plate upon the opposite side. By this means the block a is firmly held in. any position within the limit of its movement, which is the slot in the back wall of the box N.

Back of the front end of the bed I is a box, 0, which is transversely grooved down to the top of bed I to receive the ends of the rails, Fig. 6. \Vithin the box is a sliding bar, P, notched upon the upper edge to correspond with the transverse grooves in box 0. This bar is moved longitudinally in the box 0 by a hand-screw, Q, which passes through a screw-threaded plate secured upon the end of the box 0, and is swivel iointed to the end of the sliding notched bar I. In the position shown in Fig. 7, the ends of the bar-notches come even with the walls of the grooves in the box. In this position the ends of the hureau-rails will pass loosely into the grooves and notches; but a turn of the wheel Q will clamp the stiles firmly between one edge of the sliding bar I and edge of the wall of the grooves in the box 0. The machine shown is adapted to form the joints for the stiles and cross-rails for the front of av three-drawer bureau, one of the upright side stiles being placed in each of the boxes N and four front rails in each of the boxes 0, their outer ends resting upon the bed I. The rails and stiles being clamped firmly in position, the operator presses down the treadle M and holds it down until the beds are advanced to the cutters and withdrawn again to the position shown in the drawings, Fig. 1, which is performed by a single revolution of the cam-shaft.

It will be seen that when the front is put together the drawer-spaces will be the exact size in all the bureaus, and the drawer-fronts, when dressed to a uniform size, will tit any bureau made by our process.

Of course the side walls of thcpart (1 on the stile Fig. 5 provides the main support for the inside ot'tne crossiail, Fig. ti. It would therefore make little difference if the rounded portion of saidjoint were cut. down, leaving a square-bottomed recess, except that the rounded portion closely fitting the concave portion of the rail end furnishes a good gluejoint and holds the parts much more firmly together than anyjoint not in use.

We have shown our machine with sliding beds and cutters arranged upon each side of the head -stock, thus making a double machine; but each halfofthe machine is complete in itself, and one side can be used without the other; and it is also plain that but one row of mandrels could be used, the bits I; being used upon one end and the bits (1- (1 upon the opposite end. In this case the box 0 should be upon one of the sliding beds and the box N upon the other; but the arrangement 'shown in the drawings will insure better work with less labor.

\Vhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In ajointinganachine such as described, the combination of the frame having upwardlyprojecting standards, the rods a, secured at their ends to the standards, the mandrel-trames mounted on said rods and provided with bosses fitted with stationary cutters, the mandrcls l1 1), provided with cutters, and the sliding bed.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination, substantiz'illy as specified, of frame A, standards A, rods 0, and mandrelframe 0, with a screw rod or rods extending between the standards and screw-collars II to adjust and hold the said frames U upon their supports.

3. In a machine such as described, the combination, as specified, ot' a series ofmandrcls, B D, mounted to rotate one above the other, with sliding bed I, rods J J, cam K, lugs 7., and suitable mechanism, as shown, to feed the bed to and from the cutters.

=1. The combination, substantially as here inbeforc set forth, of the sliding bed I, with clai'nping devices for holding the rails on the same, consisting of transversely-grooved box 0', notched rail P, adapted to slide within said box, and hand-screw Q to move the rod back and forth to clamp or release the rail ends.

5. In combination with the boring and mortising machine described, the sliding bed, the clampingboxes N O, secured one above the other upon the inner end of said bed, with suitable devices, such as described, to clamp and hold the stutt' to be jointed, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, substantially as specified,ot' the sliding beds 1, cams K, treadle M, crank-lever L, and lover m with the connecting-rods mm tointermittently feed the beds to and from the cutters and readily arrest and stop the movement of the beds.

THOMAS W. SMITH. U H AS. .BIH E LY.

Witnesses:

Gno. M. StNKs, \VM. Newman. 

